More than half of Oregon's counties are now officially in a state of drought – 19 of them, at last count, compared to nine last year.
To get a sense of how drought is affecting agriculture in the state, OPB's "All Things Considered" host Kate Davidson spoke with Jim Johnson, land use and water planning coordinator for the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
Johnson said the effects of drought are already visible, ranging from an earlier start to the irrigation season to farmers moving high value crops closer to water sources.
He said quite a bit of land is being put into fallow status, particularly in southeastern Oregon and Klamath County. Johnson added that some short-term agricultural adaptations to drought have potential long-term consequences for soil health and pest control.
Listen to the full interview above.
